Screenshot: Center for American Progress

Now that Election Day is over, the country has a new cohort of leaders — and new opportunities to make progress on early education.

That’s the theme of a new report — “Early Childhood Agenda for Governors in 2019” — from the Center for American Progress.

“With 20 new governors and 16 re-elected governors starting new terms in January,” the report notes, “2019 has the potential to be a year of big change at the state level. This is particularly the case in the early childhood policy arena, as many newly elected governors discussed early childhood education as part of their campaigns.” 

In Washington state, for example, “Gov. Jay Inslee (D) has focused on early childhood education throughout his tenure, creating the state’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families in 2017 and significantly increasing funding to support infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.”

And here in Massachusetts, Governor Charlie Baker (R), who was just elected to a second term, has made annual investments in the early education workforce. And spending on early education has recovered, inching higher than it was before the 2008 recession. It’s welcome progress that should continue into the future.

But in every state, there’s more work to do.

“National data on the status of the current early childhood system make it clear that significant public investment is needed to realize the potential of all young children,” the report says. Across the country, “state pre-K programs serve only 33 percent of 4-year-olds and 5 percent of 3-year-olds.”

What action can governors take? The report lays out an agenda.

In the first 100 days of their terms, governors can discuss early education in their State of the State addresses, and they can include early childhood investments in their budget proposals.

Governors can also:

• “create a children’s cabinet and encourage interagency coordination”

• “appoint an early learning adviser in the governor’s immediate office”

• “create formal advisory committees to convene key stakeholders”

• “promote data-driven decision-making” 

• identify the true cost of child care

• support the early education workforce, and

• identify child care deserts

Long term, governors can:

• make home-visiting programs available to all families

• “provide high-quality, affordable child care for all families,” and 

• provide “full-day universal preschool for all 3- and 4-year-olds” 

This state-level action is vital for children, families, and workplaces. As the report concludes:

“Not only do these investments help ensure that young children served by these programs and services start school ready to learn, but they also support parents by ensuring that they can work, provide for their families, and contribute to the overall economy. Voters recognize that early childhood education is an issue worthy of government support, and research has proven that these investments work. It is time for political leaders to take up this issue and deliver for their states’ youngest residents.”